Carole Erickson and Janice Mihora get in some putting practice around socializing. (Photo by Debbie Ferguson)
Debbie Ferguson
We are back, golf fans, to report the happenings during August for the SaddleBrooke Ranch Women’s Golf Association (SBRWGA).
Aug. 8 dawned hot and humid for the first event of the month, when 42 golfers participated in the Team Cha Cha Cha. There were blind draws and card offs to excite the scoring of the four-person team game. Barb Simms demonstrated great skill with a chip-in on hole number 3. Congratulations to all the winners. Flight One: 1) Alex Anna, Bev Redfield, Pilar Borm, Michelle Carter. 2) Brenda Armenia, Diane Coughlin, Carol Garofalo, Evie Thompson. 3) Trisha Kelly, Judy Callahan, Patti West, Bonnie Stark. Flight Two: 1) Barb Simms, Kay Johnson, Jackie Elphic. 2) Diane Taylor, Susan Ness, Joanne Garcia, Jennifer Valverde. 3) Karen Jordan, Mary Snowden, Joanne Oliver, Mary Hoover.
Aug. 14 saw the SBRWGA on the putting green to advance their collective putting skills. Sixteen members were provided advanced and game-changing putting techniques by our own pros Ken and Mike. Lag putts, distance, and green reading—oh my! Who would knock the ball into the back of the cup? Who would learn the perfect secret to catapult their game into a lower handicap? Who would continue the year putting for dough? This reporter will keep watch to see who can transition their new skills onto the course under tough competition conditions.
Aug. 15 rolled in and provided a beautiful blue sky for the 39 ladies playing Blind 9. As the golfers played their round hoping their double bogey holes would be thrown out and their pars and birdies would be among the holes randomly chosen. Marge Rodgers had a hole-in-one.
Congratulations, Marge! Five chip-ins were witnessed. Susan Ness on hole number 9, Judy Callahan on number 11, Jean Cheszek on number 15, and Jennifer Valverde on number 17. Who needs putting when these ladies make it look so easy to drop a tee shot for a hole-in-one or chip-in at will? Congratulations to this week’s winners. Flight One: T1) Barb Simms and Trisha Kelly. T3) Karen Jordan, Jean Cheszek, and Debbie Shelton. Flight Two: 1) Susan Ness 2) Mary Snowden 3) Judy Callahan T4) Colleen Carey, Marge Rodgers, Bev Redfield. Flight Three: 1) Diane Taylor T2) Diane Coughline 3) Charlotte Graham. T4) Jeanne Osterlund, Marci Whitehead. Flight Four: T1) Linda Richter 2) Jennifer Valverde T3) Pattie West, Karen Oprish. Flight Five: 1) Evie Thompson 2) Phyllis Pettijohn 3) Bonnie Stark 4) Kathi Dyer.
Aug. 22 dawned steamy and the temperature continued to quickly rise. However, golf fans, the story started the day before. A late season monsoon blew through SaddleBrooke Ranch depositing too much water at once. The 35 mph wind gusts brought down limbs and leaves, leaving debris across the course while lightning and thunder created a show for the eyes and ears. Mother Nature’s gift sent the grounds crew out to start cleaning the fairways, tees, and greens resulting in the dreaded announcement “Cart Path Only.” The ladies knew even with advanced drainage, conditions would prove challenging. The game for the day was simply golf. Emails were quickly sent; Who would take on this challenge? Twenty-eight ladies started, 26 finished, several were covered in mud. It wasn’t pretty from this reporter’s vantage point.
Drinks and lunch were welcome after the round. CTP winner was hole number 12, Bonnie Stark. Flight One: 1) Trisha Kelly T2) Jean Cheszek, Barb Simms, Kathy Anderson. Flight Two: 1) Marge Rodgers 2) Joanne Garcia, Linda Sherfy. Flight Three: 1) Charlotte Graham 2) Diane Coughlin 3) Linda Richter. Flight Four: 1) Patti West T2) Kathi Dyer, Kay Johnson 4) Joanne
Oliver. Congratulations to all our winners and survivors.
On Aug. 29 the game was T & F. Only the holes beginning with T & F counted toward your final score. These ladies knew when to save their energy and focus on holes that would count
toward the day’s game. Flight One: 1) Patty Cimo T2) Marge Rodgers and Trisha Kelly. Flight
Two: 1) Carol Garofalo 2) Toni Graves 3) Diane Coughlin. Flight Three: 1) Lorraine Smith T2)
Linda Richter, Deb Lawson. Flight Four: 1) Kay Johnson 2) Jennifer Valverde 3) Patti West.
Congratulations to all our winners this month.